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Fish oil for special needs children??

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Maverick_Mom

Maverick_Mom

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I started ds on fish oil capsules a few years ago, hoping they would help him with focusing. They did nothing in that department, but when I got discouraged and stopped giving them to him, I noticed a huge change in his moods (and not for the better). Back he went on the capsules.

 

We use these:

http://www.vitacost.com/Nordic-Naturals-Omega-3-6-9-Junior

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Barb_

Barb_

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Fish oil is great for any child. So good for nerve function, brain growth, mood regulation, and general health. Remember back in the old days how cod liver oil was given to children for every ailment from tummy aches to colds to just pure churlishness? Fish oil. At least now it's available in capsule form.

 

Barb

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Nyteshade

Nyteshade

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My lil guy has autism and is non-verbal (well was until a couple weeks ago...yay!!). I have tried multiple combinations with him over the last 3 yrs. We have used Nordic Naturals 3-6-9 (fish oil) with some minimal gain, but I noticed a HUGE jump in skills once we added Wholemega (fish oil) and CoQ 10. I came across this combo after his DAN! dr wanted to add in CoQ10 and another parent had noticed huge gains with this combo.

 

The following day after taking the Wholemega he used words he hasn't used for 3 yrs and he has added a new word everyday. Honestly I started him on the Coq10(ubiquinol form) and Wholemega on the same day so not sure if it is from the Wholemega or CoQ10 but since he needs both anyway, I'm keeping him on this combo.

 

The parents who originally noticed this combo stated they felt it had a synergistic effect, perhaps because the fish oils came from 2 different sources (salmon in Wholemega and NN: anchovies and sardines). They also felt that NN alone or Wholemega alone had not as much impact as the two together.

 

 

Here is Jonah's supplement breakdown:

 

I open all softgels into a spoon and he takes them all in the morning

before his breakfast.

 

New Chapter WholeMega (2 Softgels)

Ubiquinol COQ10: 50 mg (1 softgel)

NordicNaturals Complete 3 6 9 (2 Softgels)

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Mergath

Mergath

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My dd has a genetic disorder that causes developmental delays. At 18 months, she could only say two words. We started giving her 1/2 tsp of Barlean's fish oil every day, and within a week she was up to 10 words. A month later, she had thirty, and she had finally started walking. Now she is 28 months old and uses over 300 words, and has started using short sentences. She has far surpassed the doctors' expectations for her.

 

Can't prove it was the fish oil, of course, but if not, it was an awful big coincidence.

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SweetMissMagnolia

SweetMissMagnolia

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Question....how do you ladies get your kids to take them? are they kid friendly? The only fish oil pills I've seen are HUGE-my son would NEVER be able to choke that down---I have seen the gummies that have fishoil/dha---advice? I've heard that some families give their autistic kids supplements with good results but have never tried.....my son is sooo picky with how stuff tastes it would have to taste really good to get him to eat it LOL.....

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Maverick_Mom

Maverick_Mom

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Question....how do you ladies get your kids to take them? are they kid friendly? The only fish oil pills I've seen are HUGE-my son would NEVER be able to choke that down---I have seen the gummies that have fishoil/dha---advice? I've heard that some families give their autistic kids supplements with good results but have never tried.....my son is sooo picky with how stuff tastes it would have to taste really good to get him to eat it LOL.....

 

The fish oil capsules I take *are* huge -- but the ones my son takes aren't.

 

We tried the liquid, and he hated that. And while we could break open the capsules and stir the contents into food, he'd never go for that (and I wouldn't blame him!). The capsules I give him have a slight hint of lemon, so the taste doesn't bother him, and neither does the size.

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RamonaQ

RamonaQ

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Addition question from the OP's. Can you overdose on fish oils like you can on some vitamins like Vitamin A? Isn't that a possibility with supplements that are oil soluble? I'm interested in trying them, but this concerns me.

 

I also am interested in dosage. Anybody have any thoughts?

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skirch

skirch

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Question....how do you ladies get your kids to take them? are they kid friendly? The only fish oil pills I've seen are HUGE-my son would NEVER be able to choke that down---I have seen the gummies that have fishoil/dha---advice? I've heard that some families give their autistic kids supplements with good results but have never tried.....my son is sooo picky with how stuff tastes it would have to taste really good to get him to eat it LOL.....

Hi Julie! Lauren takes the Nordic Naturals 3-6-9 and she just pops them in her mouth and chews them up. I believe they are lemon flavored.

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Dobela

Dobela

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Question....how do you ladies get your kids to take them? are they kid friendly? The only fish oil pills I've seen are HUGE-my son would NEVER be able to choke that down---I have seen the gummies that have fishoil/dha---advice? I've heard that some families give their autistic kids supplements with good results but have never tried.....my son is sooo picky with how stuff tastes it would have to taste really good to get him to eat it LOL.....
My son takes those small Nordic Naturals beads looking things that have strawberry flavor. For my dd3, we buy the strawberry flavored in the blue jar and add it to yogurt. As long as the ypgurt is a berry flavor it mixes in well and the flavor is hidden.

 

 

fish/shell fish?

 

Is Flaxseed oil the closest you can come to it?

My dad is allergic to fish but can take fish oil as long as it is coated. The ones in the gelatin tabs just don't work for him.

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Ottakee

Ottakee

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We use them here as well and have for years.

 

Right now we use the County Life Omega 3 mood--2 per day. They are big but go down easily for my girls.

 

Before that we used the Omega Brites (they also have a liquid) but they are more expensive.

 

Just make sure you are getting 1000mg of EPA NOT just 1000mg of total fish oil. Some cheaper brands this means 4-6-8 or more capsules a day as each serving only has 400mg or so and then there are 3 capsules per serving.

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samba

samba

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We use them here as well and have for years.

 

Right now we use the County Life Omega 3 mood--2 per day. They are big but go down easily for my girls.

 

Before that we used the Omega Brites (they also have a liquid) but they are more expensive.

 

Just make sure you are getting 1000mg of EPA NOT just 1000mg of total fish oil. Some cheaper brands this means 4-6-8 or more capsules a day as each serving only has 400mg or so and then there are 3 capsules per serving.

 

Ottakee,

Can the Country Life capsules be pierced and taken in liquid form? Do you know if they come flavored? I'm trying to decide between these and Omega Brites for my ds9 who cannot swallows pills at all and has a very sensitive gag reflex.

 

I've seen some recommendations to double up on dosage for the first twelve weeks with essential fatty acids. What are your thoughts? I tried Omega Brites a couple of years ago with ds but saw no changes and I'm wondering if I a) should have increased the dosage in the beginning or b) didn't use them long enough to see any improvements.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Carolyn

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Dobela

Dobela

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I'll have to look at this one. Is it specifically for kids, or for all ages?

It says it is for Children : Nordic Naturals Children's DHA. however, one of the women at the Health food store says she takes it for herself but doubles the daily dose for herself.

 

http://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/98/detail_info?ProdID=1450&MainID=1442

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Dandelion

Dandelion

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Question....how do you ladies get your kids to take them? are they kid friendly? The only fish oil pills I've seen are HUGE-my son would NEVER be able to choke that down.

 

For this reason, we switched to Coromega's Omega 3 squeeze packets (http://www.coromega.com/). My kids both love the orange-chocolate flavor (they think they're snacks - my 2yo always wants more than one). They come in other flavors too.

 

They claim that "our Omega3 Squeeze is a tasty burst of goodness with 2 essential fatty acids, DHA and EPA, and a clinically proven 300% better absorption than regular softgels." There's a link to the Bioavailability Study on their website. The levels of DHA and EPA in their product are comparable or better than what I've seen in softgels - and my son just wouldn't take the softgels or the liquid fish oil (even though I bought the really good stuff).

 

Whole Foods had these on sale last week ($10 off the regular price) - not sure if that's still going on though...

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Dandelion

Dandelion

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Thanks, Julie. Have you seen better results with this than other fish oil products for your child?

 

Carolyn

 

Well, he took so little of the other products we tried that they didn't have a chance to produce any results. He only took a few days' worth of the softgels before he refused to take any more (they made him gag) and he hated the taste of the fish oil I personally take. So I can't speak to how the results with this product compare to anything else.

 

However, I just saw that you can purchase the Coromega products through Amazon. There are over 150 reviews posted for this product, so perhaps scrolling through those might give you some insights into the results people have had with this product vs. others. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Coromega-Omega-3-Supplement-Squeeze-90-Count/dp/B000FFQATA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286476586&sr=8-1

 

I'll be buying these through Amazon moving forward, as Amazon sells them at 50% off the regular price (plus an additional 15% off that price if you subscribe to have them shipped to you at regular intervals!).

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wapiti

wapiti

Posted
Posted (edited)
My lil guy has autism and is non-verbal (well was until a couple weeks ago...yay!!). I have tried multiple combinations with him over the last 3 yrs. We have used Nordic Naturals 3-6-9 (fish oil) with some minimal gain, but I noticed a HUGE jump in skills once we added Wholemega (fish oil) and CoQ 10. I came across this combo after his DAN! dr wanted to add in CoQ10 and another parent had noticed huge gains with this combo.

 

The following day after taking the Wholemega he used words he hasn't used for 3 yrs and he has added a new word everyday. Honestly I started him on the Coq10(ubiquinol form) and Wholemega on the same day so not sure if it is from the Wholemega or CoQ10 but since he needs both anyway, I'm keeping him on this combo.

 

The parents who originally noticed this combo stated they felt it had a synergistic effect, perhaps because the fish oils came from 2 different sources (salmon in Wholemega and NN: anchovies and sardines). They also felt that NN alone or Wholemega alone had not as much impact as the two together.

 

I'm not familiar with ubiquinol form - does that just mean it comes in a liquid softgel? By any chance is it chewable like the Nordic Naturals? If you put it in a spoon, how exactly do you do that - cut it with a knife to open it up? Does it taste gross or just like a bland oil or something? I'm sorry I'm being dense but I'd love to know exactly what you do :) I may look into trying this for my ds. Thanks!!

 

ETA: nevermind about the ubiquinol question - I'm reading about that right now. Maybe that's why the COQ10 pills never seemed to help dd. But I'm still trying to envision opening softgels and putting it in a spoon :)

Edited by wapiti
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  • 3 weeks later...
cyndi60

cyndi60

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Posted

Green Pastures is the best...in wooden kegs and fermented like the old original way and it is one of the purest.

Look it up in google. They have it in capsules in many flavors I believe.

It is "super" good for SN kids and people in general. They say that the expecting Indian women would use this. It was a staple. They said that they needed it for their children and babies.

Cyndi

Wife to dh 29yrs.

Homeschool since 1986 6 children ages 28-11

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